PILOT PROJECT PROGRAM Director: Moon-shong (Eric) Tang, Ph.D. SIGNIFICANCE The four specific aims of this Pilot Project Program (PPP) are to: 1) promote the long-range research interests of the Center; 2) foster collaboration between Center members and the NYU community; 3) encourage Center investigators to explore new research initiatives; and 4) assist promising new investigators in establishing independent research in environmental health sciences. We have been very successful at achieving these four goals for the past ten years. The following are a few highlights of our successes in achieving these specific aims during the past five years. As one of the goals of this Center, efforts to understand the mechanisms of action, component composition, adverse health effects, mitigation and risks of ambient air exposures have been supported by a long and outstanding history in inhalation toxicology research. The PPP has worked diligently with Center faculty in achieving these goals. PPP funding has supported the establishment of a novel organ bath system that allowed for novel collaborative research conducted by Drs. L.-C. Chen and Lippmann in the assessment of the vascular function of aorta rings and small arteries. We have also provided PPP funding for the development of a new method of inhalation exposure: a